Life Before
by xxBlackHeartxxWhiteLovexx
Summary: This story can't really be considered fanfiction yet, but the canon characters WILL come... Update: finished ch. 3


26/02/2009 20:11:00

Note: This is a story that is in the 'Naruto' world, but is in no way part of the canon, its kind of AU. It is pre-Shippuden in the manga. Enjoy.

**-x—x—x-**

**Character**** List**

Kaji-**Female, Human, 14 years, Cropped blonde w/ blue eyes, Tanned. Kiki/Kai), Lives in the Kigakure Dormitories, At the top of class.**

Yuuki Inuran-**Male?, Human/Bug Hybrid, 15 years, Brunette w/ milky purple eyes, Blind. Yuu, Has 2 nin-dogs, Clan could be branch family of Aburames' or Inuzukas'. **

Haruka Inuran-**Female, Nin-Dog/Bug, 14.5 years, Pale gray w/ green eyes, Transitioned down to black at paws, muzzle, and tail. Haku, Contains kikai bugs that originated from Yuuki and controls them, Been Yuuki's partner her whole life**

Aki Inuran-**Female, Human/Bug Hybrid, 15 years, Brunette w/ milky purple eyes, Blind. Aki, Has 2 nin-dogs, Clan could be branch family of Aburames' or Inuzukas'.**

Hakuru Inuran-**Male, Nin-Dog/Bug, 14.5 years, Dark gray w/ blue eyes, Transitioned down to white at paws, muzzle, and tail. Haru, Contains kikai bugs that originated from Aki and controls them, Been Aki's partner his whole life**

Aoi Kokoro-**Male Human?, 14 years, Long Black w/ red eyes, Pale. Koi/Haku, Is often mistaken for a girl due to lack of masculinity, Extremely quiet.**

Nakari Shikahime-** Male, Human, 14 years, Messy longer auburn w/ brown eyes, Paraplegic. Hime, Uses a special brace attached the spinal cord to command his legs, Kitchen boy.**

**Hope you enjoyed. Please read & review, but observe the difference between constructive criticism and flames.**

-x—x—x-

**Prologue**

A calm forest gently swayed. Fog was slowly receding into the early morning sky, revealing a pair of figures on an empty field. The only movement was that of a blonde, clad in dark greens.

The blonde-haired girl silently approached her teammates, who were sitting quietly. Both were waiting for their teacher with a nin-dog. She was almost behind them, before the nin-dog's kikai swirled giving her away. A dejected scowl bursts across the impish face. The only response from the remaining two was uncaring glare and a wistful nod.

The latter got up and began moving quickly towards an approaching figure. Soon to be followed by the other two, one gracefully, the other with a loping strides. The tall and silent character met them, halfway into the field. She walked efficiently, with the great resolve, before leading the group into a division of the village.

**-x—x—x-**

**Chapter 1**

The entire village started up, the early guard making their way up to the watchtowers that framed the border. A proud new stall was placed a few feet in front of an alley that straddled a corner. Merchant girls giggled at the new store setting up on the corner, knowing that before the hour was over that stall would be in shambles. The entire village seemed to brace itself. Before long, a blonde rushed through the town, tripping over dogs and yelling apologies to the smiling villagers. Soon crashing elegantly into the brand-new stall.

"Good luck on your exams!" a passerby shouted at the blonde and green streak, before starting to move the stall's ruble closer to the alley, much too the owner's distress. The man finished moving the last piece before a quartet of greyhound-like nin-dogs stampeded following the blonde pulling a small chariot occupied by a pair of hooded individuals. Sweat dripped down his forehead, as the shocked owner stared at the bits and pieces of what had once been a stall. His paralysis didn't last long, as a figure quickly scooped him up and placed him on the sidewalk against the wall, before joining the now much larger pack of adolescents charging down the street.

"So your new, huh?" an observer asked, "Don't worry, it doesn't happen every day. Only once in a blue moon." As a reference to the constant blue object that rose and fell in conjunction to the sun, it wasn't very reassuring. The man could only stare in shocked silence, staring at the figure before him. A tall but striking woman nodded back to him and the shambles of his cart, her short light-red hair whisking around her head. She was attractive; although no one would call her beautiful, with hazel eyes that changed from blue to green, then back to hazel depending on the light. Fish net covered her arms and legs in the form sleeves disappearing into gloves and boots. In addition a black cloth wrapped around her torso crossing and weaving between arms, legs and body in a complicated pattern that caused dizziness. Weapon pouches hung just behind the ends of the cloth, hiding them slightly. Less observable arsenals lay in the long feline fang held by a thong, and the various scrolls that were tucked in to the folds of cloth. Most striking of all was the cat-like features, a slit pupil that focused with great precision; pointed ears with small tufts that moved and twitched; and a long and lithe tail capped by plume of fur. She smiled.

Huffing, Kaji ran up to the patiently waiting teacher in front of the school. At the sight of her, the woman broke into a wide grin. She then nodded and ushered her into the examination room. In the corner of her eye, she spotted a couple of other students drawing near to the building. The glimpse was quickly whisked away, and replaced with keen focus onto the contents of the room. A man greeted her with a whip of the hand. "You're losing your edge." he commented, "Once you would have been hours and miles before anybody else." Kaji could only nod, itching for the exam to start with the knowledge that the sooner they started the sooner she could leave. Moreover, being aware that the din of others entering the building would break her focus didn't help her tense mood.

Every movement, jutsu, and weapon had been reviewed the days before with stunning accuracy. She hoped that the hard work that was put in wouldn't fail. As the assessment went on she soothed herself into trance, so every movement relied not on her thoughts, but on muscle memory and the chemical responses in her body. It was how she took and failed every exam, although she felt that she could pass this time, before falling completely into the trance.

**-x—x—x-**

**Chapter 2**

A click sounded, as the exam room's door opened that click released untold amounts of relaxation over her body, the test was over. Her eyes shot open, quickly analyzing the environment around her. Satisfied as she rose, Kaji quickly passed through the doorway and into the still quiet hallway. Entering the cafeteria, greeted only by rows of tables and chairs she took a seat near the window. She started to settle, after nodding to the culinary personnel who were quickly making the food for the weary and hungry test-takers. They only smiled, and brought out a tray of edibles that had been perfected from her many visits to the facility.

"Did you pass this time, Kai?" spoke a voice in a familiar drawl, "Goodness knows, you've taken the test so many times." He leaned against the table, cocking his head at her, his permanently mangled legs and brace hidden by the clothes, yet still reminding her of the more jealous side of the teases. The boy was kitchen staff now, but before he was a confider of secrets and exalted rival in the academy. During a training session, they had snuck past their chuunin teachers and trained against more difficult obstacles than the straw dummies and targets the instructors had prepared.

Unbeknownst to them, that was also the day that a group of low-level missing-nin had plotted their revenge on the Spirit Village. In the panic, their teachers forgot them. While the others were safe in the evacuation bunkers, the two were in the center of the enemy's attack. Naturally, they fought off the attackers, but the group's B-class* leader entered the battle and began disposing of the Chunin. When he turned on her, Shikahime sacrificed a part of his nervous cord and the chakra system in his legs. His kekkai-genkai harnessed the power, to protect both of them and kill the man. When their leader died, the attackers lost their drive and dissipated back in to the edges of the forest. When they were found, both were reprimanded, but her friend was never allowed to enter in to the Academy again.

The sudden movement of his black uniform brought her back to the present as her classmates flowed into the room. She flinched at the glares at her friend, and smiled at his quiet, "They'll never learn." She waved back at them, and then back at her table she slipped a note under the ledge.

*I took a leap and concluded that the Bingo Book criminals are labeled like missions. (lowest E-D-C-B-A-S highest), and as such would correspond to ninja levels (Academy-Genin-Chunin-Jounin/Elite Jounin-Kage-Sage

**-x—x—x-**

**Chapter 3**

Quickly walking across the room to another table, Kaji settled into the bench and placed her various food vessels into convenient places. Suddenly the doors swung open, pushed by four huge dogs, shocking some of the newer students who were back from taking entrance exams. A pair of twins entered the room mercilessly, their high collared hoodies disguising their faces, and white sashes veiling the rest of their bodies. Following close behind was a younger boy, looking completely smug and catty, although she knew to almost everyone else in the room, he was stone emotionless.

Kaji glared at him, the symbolic paper-collar boy he was. He was perfect, the best track record of his year and never a mark off. Slim, with long legs, and opalescent orbs that changed in all lights, and shoulder length bright red hair. She quickly averted her eyes as his swung towards her, hoping that he would not notice her. Avoiding the slit-pupils, slightly snubbed nose, and the delicately pointed ears, that accentuated his beauty, proved highly difficult. A ghost of a smile graced his lips as he made eye contact, causing the sheep of girls around him to faint and flock closer.

He was a bakeneko, one of the few that lived within the Kigakure, most of his kind stayed in the forest surrounding the village. *His clan were the benefactors of and lived near the village orphanage's training ground typically keeping to themselves. They were very fond of Kaji, and Fuyumi convinced that Kaji was his rival, began to stalk her and harass her friends.*

In response, Kaji simply skipped up to the twins, and greeted them warmly. Their external reactions were cool and composed, in sheer contrast to the emotion that she gave off in waves. Padding up to acknowledge her, the dogs gave a much more rambunctious response, slightly wagging their tails and nuzzling quietly. Considering their kikai were still synced with the pair, an accurate reading of the twins feelings were always portrayed in the dogs. It seemed that the twins were pleased to see her, but annoyed for some reason. Pondering it for a moment, Kaji suppressed a giggle, as a little boy pranced up to her looking as cocky as can be.

"Wow! How many times have you taken the exam... 80?" he scoffed, "Face the facts, you won't get in and even the rag doll over there will." he gestured at a hunched-over figure in the corner. He simpered to himself, in what was supposed to be a condescending way. Kaji burst giggling as she let her head fall into her hands. When she finally got a grip, and the boy was thoroughly scared out of his mind, she wiped her eyes.

Bending down, she whispered "You do realize that I am taking the Academy's exit exam, right." Giving him another satisfied smile, she turned around right into a scene. Fuyumi had gathered a posse, and was making fun of Shikahime. She fumed, and decided to pay a visit to his parents that evening.

*I hate this passage, so if anybody knows a better way to phrase it, please comment

**-x—x—x-**

**Chapter 4**

A calm forest seemed to sleep, the tree's gently rustling in the breeze and not an animal vocalized its calls. The lethargic fog slowly lifted into the rose stained sky, revealing a pair of figures on an abandoned training field. The only movement was that of a blonde, clad in dark greens.

The blonde-haired girl silently approached her teammates, who were sitting quietly. Both were waiting for their teacher, one with a cropped hoodie and nin-dog, the other's long dark hair pooling on the ground. A wave of excitement rushed through her, the need to surprise the stoic duo was undeniable. She was almost behind them, before the nin-dog's kikai swirled giving her location away to the pair.

"Haku, why did you do that? You totally gave me away, too." She complained while scowling dejectedly, annoyance spilling over her face. "You, seriously need to stop doing that." The dog's only response was turning around with a raised eyebrow in his direction, before turning back around and yipping at her master.

"Kaji, we knew you were there for a while. So, she did not really give anything away." Quipped the one in the hoodie, glaring through blind eyes at her. The hoodie covering most of the face, except for the pastel blue eyes and stopped halfway down the torso revealing the pale midriff. A pair of dark shorts that ended a little past the knees were covered on the top with a white skirt-like sash that wrapped around the hips and one of the end gathered down on the dirt. When standing, the end would nearly be even with the leather boots that ended centimeters away from the shorts, allowing the masses of throwing needles to poke out. Anyone who met with the pale character in battle the effect was disturbing, with only slivers of skin and steel visible.

The other one simply nodded sympathetically, and resumed waiting for their teacher. An androgynous male, it often seemed he encouraged his femininity. His large eyes were lined with long eyelashes, midnight black hair that reached his waist rimmed the pale visage, and ruby lips punctuated the face. Clothed in a long light shirt that had a diamond opening with a cropped dark jacket and a pair of matching shorts that stopped mid-thigh. He abruptly stood up on to his flat shoes, which housed a pair of deadly poison vials, and walked purposely forward. Soon to be followed by the other two, one gracefully, the other with a loping strides.

A tall and silent figure met them, halfway into the field. She walked efficiently, with great resolve to create and break her new students. But, a smile broke the solemn features and was followed by a quick greeting. All four were moving into the city's training area before the early guard woke up. Each one of their expressions confirmed that they soon would be participating in their first mission as genin team.

The woman introduced herself as Igneous, and gave a simple and concise description of herself and of the other woman, Kai, who would serve as their leader. Kaji hid a smile, wondering if the names had originated as hers had, due to a fiery impatience for unpleasantries.

-x—x—x-

Chapter 5

The leader raised her eyebrows


End file.
